At the plenary session of the EDPB, held online on 21 April 2020, were adopted the following documents:
• Guidelines on the processing of health data for research purposes in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak
The aim of this Guide was to clarify issues related to the use of health data, in particular the legal basis for processing, the subsequent use of data for scientific research, including cross-border aspect, as well as ensuring the rights of data subjects.
• Guidelines on geolocation and other tracing tools in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak
The document aims to highlight the conditions and principles of proportional use of location data in order to monitor the spread of the virus. The use of contact tracing applications should be voluntary and should not rely on tracing individual movements but rather on proximity information regarding users.

Joint Statement by Chair of the Committee of Convention 108 and Data Protection Commissioner of the Council of Europe on the right to data protection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, adopted on 30 March 2020, Strasbourg the content can be viewed by accessing the following link

Processing of personal data in the context of the pandemic Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Republic of Moldova. The document can be viewed by accessing the following link.

The European Data Protection Board adopted a statement on the processing of personal data in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The English version is available at the following link.

The National Center for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP) informs that, from January to March 2020, the NCPDP trainers, certified by the EU Twinning Project, trained about 400 people. The training activities took place in accordance with the follow-up Action Plan on the implementation of the activities after the completion of the EU Twinning Project, which targets 4 groups of data subjects – children, students, parents, civil society and state officials.
Thus, during the mentioned period, the NCPDP organized the following activities aimed at increasing the awareness of the society on personal data protection:
1. Training for 60 students of the of third year from Faculty of Journalism and Communication of Moldova State University and Law Faculty of Free International University of Moldova on the topic “Personal data protection for the young audience: awareness, principles, necessity, risks and challenges” and “The right of access to information and the right to personal data protection”
2. An educational hour on the topic: “Personal Data Protection expressed by drawing”. The activity took place for a group of 26 children, of 7-14 years, from the Republican Center for Children and Youth “ARTICO”.
3. Launch of an informational campaign for parents and children in collaboration with General Police Inspectorate of Ministry of Internal Affairs, “Moldcell” – mobile network operator, Public Association “Solidary Parents” and Directorate-General for Education Youth, Sport and Culture on the topic “Protect your child in the online environment”. The first action within the campaign took place in the sector Botanica for a group of 60 parents and children.
4. Round table on the topic “Conciliation of the right of access to information and the right of personal data protection in the Republic of Moldova. Challenges, difficulties and possible solutions”. The activity brought together students and representatives of civil society, in which participated 5 students of third year from Law Faculty of Free International University of Moldova and from the Faculty of Journalism and Communication of Moldova State University, representatives of “Promo-Lex”, “Action for Justice”, “Center for Legal Resources”, “Association for the Protection of Privacy” and “Centre for Investigative Journalism”.
5. At the same time, during the reference period, the NCPDP trainers organized 4 training activities at ” Labor Relations Training Center ” and the International Police Cooperation Centre within the General Police Inspectorate. Approximately 255 people participated in these trainings.
6. On January 31, 2020, the NCPDP launched the new version of the web page – www.datepersonale.md, elaborated within the EU Twinning Project “Capacity Building of the National Center for Personal Data Protection of the Republic of Moldova”.

NCPDP organized a round table for students and civil society on the right of access to information and the right to personal data protection.

On 29 January 2020, the National Center for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP) continued the round of events dedicated to the European Data Protection Day. In this regard, the NCPDP organized, for the first time, in the premises of a cafe in Chisinau, a common event for students and civil society, on the topic “Conciliation of the right of access to information and the right of personal data protection in the Republic of Moldova. Challenges, difficulties and possible solutions”.

The NCPDP was represented by Mrs. Victoria Butușanu, main state inspector, Legal Department which moderated the discussions in which participated 5 students of third year from Law Faculty of Free International University of Moldova (ULIM) and 5 students of third year from the Faculty of Journalism of Moldova State University, representatives of NGOs such as: “Promo-Lex”, “Action for Justice”, “Center for Legal Resources”, “Association for the Protection of Privacy” and “Centre for Investigative Journalism”.

During the dialogue were addressed various topics that entail the exercise of balancing the right of access to information and the right to personal data protection, namely: depersonalization of court decisions, depersonalization of administrative acts issued by local public authorities, pragmatic impediments of journalists in the process of accessing information, the legal framework on access to information and the new draft law on access to information, etc.

During the discussions, it was expressed the need for all involved actors to identify a balance between the two rights, without prejudice to one or the other. In this respect, the exceptional character of the limitation of the right of access to information and the need for an exhaustive argumentation of the reasons that generated the limitation, with the omission of the legally obscure phrases, was emphasized.

For 2020, the NCPDP aims to organize more activities in this format for the civil society to ensure the development of a constructive and permanent dialogue with the stakeholders in order to identify the optimal solutions for the correct application of the legal norms in the field of personal data protection.

The Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, the National Center for Personal Data Protection of the Republic of Moldova (NCPDP), the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Latvia, supported by the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), held the Closure meeting of the Twinning Project ‘Capacity Building of the National Center for Personal Data Protection of the Republic of Moldova.

On Wednesday 18 December, the Twinning Project’s official Closure meeting took place at the “ARTCORE” – Creative Industries Center in Chisinau. The introductions were held by Mr. Eduard RADUCAN, Director of the National Center for Personal Data Protection, Marco GEMMER, Head of the Operation Section of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Ullrich KINNE, Counsellor of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of German in the Republic of Moldova, Mrs. Kristine POMMERE, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Justice of Latvia and Mrs.Katharina TEGEDER, IRZ Head of Section, German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation.

The project was funded by the European Union, with a budget of 1 million EUR, and was implemented in partnership with the Independent Centre for Privacy Protection of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and the Latvian Ministry of Justice during 27 month starting with 2 October 2017.

The Twinning Project’s purpose was threefold:
 to harmonise the Republic of Moldova’s national legislation in the field of data protection with the European Union’s legal framework and standards;
 to strengthen the Moldovan National Centre for Personal Data Protection’s capabilities;
 to raise awareness around data protection legislation among data subjects, data controllers and data processors.

During the Project were elaborated: recommendations on the draft law “Law on Personal data protection”, guidelines/draft code of conducts for processing personal data in the health, finance, law enforcement, electoral process, media, video surveillance and electronic communication sectors have been drafted, standard operating procedures for NCPDP staff, educational and communication materials aimed at supporting target groups to adapt to requirements laid down in the GDPR and EU Directive 2016/680, a communication and awareness raising action plan delivered to NCPDP for further review and adoption. As well ex-post survey on the perception of the right to and enforcement of personal data protection in the Republic of Moldova draft of the new National Strategy on personal data protection for 2020-2025 was proposed for the NCPDP for further adoption according to the national legislation were delivered.

The Project experts taking into account opinion of the representatives of the private and public sector reviewed 32 national legislative acts to harmonize legislation according to the personal data protection EU standards, 8 trainings were provided to the NCPDP staff, including train-the-trainers sessions on GDPR and Police Directive 2016/680. 384 representatives (middle and senior levels) from other government institutions were trained on personal data processing requirements during the 18 workshops, 30 seminars on the protection of personal data in different sectors for private sector were held with the participation of more than 1500 persons. The NCPDP website was modernized adapting the design and facilities to the modern world demands.

During the closing event of the EU Twinning Project, the Director of the NCPDP gave a speech in which he thanked and appreciated the European Union Delegation in the Republic of Moldova, as well as the European partners, the IRZ and the Ministry of Justice of Latvia – for the efficient collaboration that materialized through the realization of this Project. “The implementation of the EU Twinning Project is a first one in the history of our authority. I want to point out that this Project, in addition to the contribution it has made to fulfilling the commitments of the Republic of Moldova in order to continue its European path, the agenda of activities carried out by the missions of experts together with the representatives of the NCPDP has significantly contributed to strengthening the right to protection personal data. I hope very much that this successful friendship relationship between the NCPDP and the European institutions involved in this Project will continue with the same success even further. I am fully confident that today, one chapter ends, that of the EU Twinning Project within the NCPDP, and at the same time we reopen a new one – maintaining and implementing the results obtained in the team, thus ensuring an adequate level of protection of personal data, the same as in all EU Member States.”

In total 34 experts from Germany and Latvia, but also from Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia and Malta participated in the project implementing more than 24 different activities in 3 components aiming at different goals: assessments, evaluations, roundtables, guidelines, recommendations, various forms of capacity building activities (seminars, workshops, training of trainers, etc.) and study visits to EU Member States.